The OIG Issues New Safe Harbor Rule for Free or Discounted Health Care Transportation Services

Hinshaw attorney Michael Dowell, of the firm's Health Care practice, reviewed in a Bloomberg BNA article a new safe harbor rule for health care providers that offer free or discounted transportation services. Such services are subject to a provision in the Social Security Act that imposes a monetary penalty on providers who offer "remuneration" to federal health care program beneficiaries in order to influence their selection of a provider. These transportation services are also potentially subject to the criminal anti-kickback statute.

Dowell explains how the HHS Office of Inspector General finalized a new safe harbor rule last December that protects certain free or discounted local transportation arrangements provided to federal health care program beneficiaries (e.g. Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries). He discusses eligibility for the safe harbor protections, and also offers a series of compliance best practices to ensure compliance certainty for health care providers.

Read the full article (PDF – reprinted with permission)

"OIG Issues New Safe Harbor on Free or Discounted Local Transportation Services" was published by Bloomberg BNA's Health Law Reporter, February 15, 2017.